That sounds like a modest goal, but it involved some planning. We walked to a nearby Metro stop, took it to the Amstel station (our third major Amsterdam train station this trip!), took a train to the Utrecht station, took a train to the Vleuten train station, and then finally got on a shuttle bus to take us to the castle. What could go wrong? Well, you could get on an express from Utrecht to Gouda, zipping right by Vleuten, which would probably require a return trip back to Utrecht before catching the right train. And you probably could get stuck on the station side of a Metro exit barrier because your card time had expired, with no way to buy another ticket, which might make you dash through the gates after someone else had gone through. That possibly could go wrong.
But we did make it to the De Haar Castle around 1:00 in the afternoon, where we bought our admission into the two-hundred-plus-booth Christmas fair on the grounds of the beautiful castle that the De Haar family refurbished in the late 1800s as a summer home and entertaining center. They rubbed elbows with the rich and famous of the twentieth century, including Gregory Peck and Brigitte Bardot. The castle is beautiful, surrounded by moats and canals and gardens and walls. The structure is made of red brick, and was designed by the same architect who did the Rijksmuseum and Amsterdam’s central train station. The woodwork of the main hall ceiling is stunning, and the walls are filled with stained glass. It is an elegant home, even if it was only used for about a month per year.
We paid to tour the castle, and paid the slight extra to tour the servants’ hallways and quarters, so we have now done the “nooks and crannies” tour of the De Haar Castle, but still have not managed it at Stan Hywet in Akron. It was interesting to see how there were hidden corridors for the staff to use so as to stay out of sight of the guests. We also read that it was not unusual for staff to work seventeen-hour days, but that the De Haar family treated their help well, providing clean and modern rooms for them to live in, and the information we read said the staff often remained loyal to the family their whole lives.
The tour was fun, with the only downside being that it was given in Dutch. We had English cards telling us what we were seeing, but it sounded as if our guide, an older man, was quite funny. It was the first time this whole week that we were surrounded by Dutch who spoke little or no English.
The fair itself was good – the number of booths was dizzying. I’m not sure we actually saw them all. We stopped in at the “Moulin Rouge” tent to hear some live music (two Dutch women singing Carpenters songs in English), before finding a good food tent. Dubbs shopped for a few gifts, including a new scarf for herself, and that was the afternoon. We left the fair around 5:30, when it was mostly dark, so we got to see all the Christmas lights come on around the tents of the fair.
We got back home around 6:15 and headed out to supper a little after 7:00. It was in a very cute pedestrian-(and bike, of course)-only area. After having Italian food in Lisbon last Thanksgiving, we decided on Mexican in Amsterdam this year. After supper and dessert, we walked a mile or so back home, admiring the canals and looking into the upper windows of lovely Amsterdam homes. So starts our Christmas season. Here is hoping Santa brings us some unexpired Metro cards.